SAN JOSE, Calif. - In an effort to minimize in-person gatherings in light of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, California State University campuses in the Bay Area will switch to online-only classes starting Monday.
At San Francisco State University, all instruction will be conducted using "remote modalities" beginning Monday. As of Sunday night, the San Francisco campus was to remain open, and support services for online students and for remaining on-campus support operations for students, faculty and staff will remain open too, university officials said.
SF State has also canceled all university-sponsored events on all its campuses throughout the rest of March to limit the potential exposure of COVID-19.
All San Jose State University classes will be online only starting Monday until Spring Break begins March 30. University officials said the status of classes beginning April 6 and the rest of spring semester will be announced at a later date.
Most classes at Cal State East Bay campuses in Hayward and Concord will go online starting Monday, school officials said, though some lab classes and studio classes that can't practically be conducted online will continue to meet in person for the time being. Cal State East Bay's spring break is scheduled for March 30-April 3; courses are expected to resume April 6 online, except for the lab and studio classes, which will keep meeting in person.
Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park is on Spring Break for a week starting Monday, but starting Tuesday, March 24 will move to all-online class instruction. Campus officials plan to resume in-person classes April 20; the campus community will be told by Wednesday, April 8 whether that is going to change.
At California State University, Sacramento, classes are expected to be all online by Tuesday, with Monday set as a transition day for faculty. In a message Sunday, university President Robert S. Nelsen said "critical staff," including Student Health and Counseling Services, must work on campus, but he urged anyone who can work remotely to do so, at least for the immediate future.
"For those of us who will be reporting to campus every day, I ask that we observe best practices in social distancing," Nelsen said.